Friday, November 28, 2014

Image above: The Scenic Map Grand Canyon app An app that explores the rich landscapes around the Grand Canyon and Arizona while
you discover Scenic Map, the best 3D topo map for the iPad and iPhone. Just one of thousands of apps applicable to the teaching of geography.

The number of apps for iPad and iPhone just keep on growing! Further to the Spatialworlds posting called 'An app opportunity for the geography classroom', I thought these apps sourced by Sean Hampton-Colewere worth categorising and posting. Hours of fun with these at the personal level and for classroom application - something to play with over the Xmas holidays!!

In a previous posting I explored the idea of Geogphobia and the need for some 'sunshine geography' to engage students in the WOW (World of Wonder) of geography. Such an approach is not denigrating the importance of students addressing geographical issues and problems but is saying that we should not start with the deficit model but have students see the wonder of the world before exploring issues.It is impossible as a citizen not to avoid the bad news in the media - it feeds on it!! The classroom needs to be much more strategic when we are working with the development of values, attitudes and perspectives related to the fragility and dynamism of our world. The negativity of the 24 hour news cycle in relation to the environment came home to me recently at a workshop when I asked participants the question; "how much of South Australia's energy needs come from wind energy?" Most participants guessed that it was about 5-10%. In fact, in 2014 South Australia generated up to 30% of its energy needs from wind power and in July this year enough electricity was generated from wind farms to meet a record 43 per cent of the state’s power needs, and on occasions during the month provided all the state’s electricity needs. Even more impressive is that the combination of wind energy and rooftop solar has provided more than 100
per cent of South Australia's electricity needs for a whole working day
between 9.30am and 6pm several times over recent months .Now that is a South Australian good news story! On those same days wind energy accounted for 12% of Victoria's energy needs - also impressive considering Victoria's energy needs!

"Some people love to complain about how horrible everything is all the time.And there are certainly plenty of horrible things to complain about.
People are mean, for example. And people get sick. And there are
horrible accidents and injustices and tragedies and unfairness
everywhere. And there is Ebola. However it is nice sometimes remind ourselves that some things — many things, in fact — are getting better all the time. "

Over at the Oxford Martin School, Max Roser has put together a provocative article and presentation entitled, “It’s a cold hard fact: Our world is becoming a better place.”Roser includes lots of facts that will drive the haters crazy and show that our world is becoming a better place. What follows are a range of graphs over time showing change in health, wars, poverty, feeding of populations, democracy and political freedoms around the world. The trends are all downward ... but are they just clever use of statistics?* War and battles have declined over time

Roser explains the thinking behind his OurWorldInData.org online resource:"Is it actually true that we are building a better world? Or are those
who claim that things are always getting worse the ones in the
right? Whether we're discussing the way of the world over a pint in the
pub or dissecting the issues at an academic conference, it’s a topic
that lingers constantly: how is the world changing?The evidence to answer these questions is out there, but it is often
obscured by media headlines. So we created OurWorldInData.org to
present long-term data on how our world is changing. Using empirical
data, visualised in graphs, we tell the history of the world that we
live in, looking at long-term economic, social and environmental trends.
For each topic the quality of the data is discussed and comprehensive
lists of the data sources are provided, giving a trustworthy and
transparent starting point for researchers.The evidence shows that we are becoming less violent and increasingly more tolerant, that we are leading healthier lives, are better fed, and that poverty around the world is declining rapidly. Taking these facts into account paints a very positive picture of how the world is changing."

As frequently mentioned on this blog, there is a disconnect between what geographers think geography is and what the community and non-geographer educators think geography is. In fact, there is even arguments on the matter between geographers i.e. the physical geography versus human geography debate. Whilst the perception of geography varies enormously, one of the good things coming out of the implementation of the Australian Curriculum: Geography is that geographers are working with teachers and parents to enunciate what they see geography as. I was amused by the following example of a typical discussion geographers tend to have with those trying to get a grasp of what geography is in the 21st Century - an exhausting, but necessary role for us geographers as the curriculum is implemented!

Imagine the poor geographer trying to explain to someone exactly what it is he or she studies.

“Geography is Greek for ‘writing about the earth.’ We study the Earth.”“Right, like geologists.”“Well, yes, but we’re interested in the whole world, not just the rocky
bits. Geographers also study oceans, lakes, the water cycle…”“So, it’s like oceanography or hydrology.”“And the atmosphere.”“Meteorology, climatology…”“It’s broader than just physical geography. We’re also interested in how humans relate to their planet.”“How is that different from ecology or environmental science?”“Well, it encompasses them. Aspects of them. But we also study the
social and economic and cultural and geopolitical sides of–“Sociology, economics, cultural studies, political science.”“Some geographers specialise in different world regions.”“Ah, right, we have Asian and African and Latin American studies
programs here. But I didn’t know they were part of the geography
department.”“They’re not.”(Long pause.)“So, uh, what is it that you do study then?”― Ken Jennings

Just to emphasise the difficulty for many to get a purchase on what is geography, I thought it would be fun in this posting to pick a mixed-bag of sites, from the stimulating to exhilarating to show the diversity of topics studied under the banner of geography. As Judy Martz is quoted as saying in the image at the top of the posting, everything can be studied in geography, as long as it is studied geographically! What does that mean? With the Australian Curriculum: Geography it means to look at what we study through the lens of the seven key concepts of place, space, environment, scale, environment, sustainability, interconnection and change - to think geographically on a topic/area of study is what makes geography geography. Now just enjoy these amazing examples of geography and geographical thinking! The stimulating!* A Meandering stream

An interactive data visual covering all cities with
500,000-plus inhabitants – illustrates the scale and speed of urban
transformation that research by the International Institute of
Environment and Development (IIED) has sought to document and describe. A
guide to its use can be found underneath the visual.

People
of many different countries are now living in Europe, with the
continent's residents coming everywhere from Jamaica to Tuvalu. Using
data from 2011 censuses this interactive maps the prevalence of different
nationalities across the European continent. Pick a country and the map will tell
you how many people from that country live in each* European state

Which countries have laws preventing violence? Which legislate for
gender equality? And which countries allow abortion? Using World Bank
and UN data this interactive offers a snapshot of women's rights across the globe

Excellent maps displaying the standard of living available to children
around the world. These maps help us to understand the quality of life
present in different countries around the world. This is the biggest ever global picture of children’s well-being, education and
family life has been assembled into a series of maps by the University
of California, Los Angeles. "When you look at a map, everyone's eyes go
straight to where they live," says Dr Jody Heymann, director of the
university's World Policy Analysis Centre.

Where are you?

Spatial visits

Pageviews last 7 days

Translate

Who am I?

I have taught history, geography and civics and citizenship in the South Australian education system since 1976. I have been actively involved in the promotion of geography and history over the years, in particular the use of spatial technology in schools. I am a Past Chair of the Australian Geography Teachers' Association (Chair 2008-13) and Immediate Past President of the Australian Alliance of Associations in Education (2013-present). During the development of the Australian Curriculum: Geography I was a member of the ACARA Advisory Panel (2009-2013) and Executive Director of the ESA GeogSpace project. From 2007-2011 and in 2015 I was the Manager for the Humanities and Social Sciences (HaSS) in the South Australian Department for Education and Child Development (DECD). Presently I am a Teaching Academic in HaSS Education at the University of South Australia and the Manager for the Premier's ANZAC Spirit School Prize in DECD.